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3 Reasons to Use Nanny Agencies

by Cortney Galster on December 21, 2012

Cortney Galster

About the Author

Born and bred in Minnesota, Cortney Galster is a small business consultant, writer and shoe-aholic living in the Twin Cities. She lives in the suburbs with her darling husband, adorable baby, and giant drooling dog. You can read more of her work at <a href="http://themommyhoodproject.com"> The Mommyhood Project</a>, <a href="http://www.cupcakemag.com/author/cortney/"> CupcakeMag</a>, and <a href="http://www.cupcakemaglittles.com/author/cortney/"> CupcakeMag Littles</a>.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

Back in my college days, I was a nanny — but only for families I actually knew. My sister wanted to follow in my footsteps and ended up finding work through a couple of nanny agencies. Her experience actually made me much more open to using agencies to find childcare for my son. While I already have childcare options for my little guy through our family, bringing someone into our home has crossed my mind now that I'm heading back to working in an office for part of the week. Here are the three big reasons why hiring a nanny through an agency is a great fit for my family.

You Know What You're GettingNanny agencies will do all the leg work for you when it comes to bringing childcare into your home. They screen candidates to fit your family values and run background checks to make sure the nanny is truly qualified to work with your kids (and doesn't have any skeletons in her closet!). Many agencies require specialized, ongoing training for their staff to ensure that they are providing skilled nannies to their clients. All of this gives me a much greater peace of mind when it comes to leaving my child at home while I'm at work.

They Come to Your HomeThere is something to be said for convenience, but bringing a nanny into your home goes even further than just being convenient: it means that my baby is in a secure environment that I'm totally comfortable with. It means that if I want to, I can have a nanny cam to check in on my son throughout the day. It means that I can provide mom-approved activities for my son to do during the day. And it also eliminates the "to" and "from" daycare trips twice a day — which means more time at home with my family. When you're a working mom, you know how valuable that extra hour a day can be.

Your Child is the FocusIn a daycare setting, there are always lots of kids that need attention from the staff. When I bring someone into my house, I know that my babe is going to be her main focus all day; I know that my son's not going to spend half his day in a crib. I know that as soon as he's hungry, he's going to get a bottle. And that he's going to get lots of one-on-one playtime throughout the course of the day. All of these things make it a lot easier for me to be away from him!

Have you worked with a nanny agency before? Tell us below in the comments section!